Simple Life

The subject of this book by Thom & Art Rainier is simply about making life simple…. a lot easier said than done. In fact, I have tried to pick up this book several times in the past month and find myself too busy (whether I actually am or whether I just perceive myself to be too busy) to read it. I am still in the middle of it, but I find myself fascinated by the ideals set forth… none of which are new or something we couldn’t figure out if we just took a few moments to sit back and relax instead of always being on the go!

“Simple Life” breaks life up into four categories: time, relationships, God, and money. All of which are extremely important to all of us and are areas we also tend to make things more complicated than they actually are. Thom and Art Rainier give four goals (clarity, movement, alignment, and focus) and apply them to the four areas and give you a game plan for making life simpler.

As I said, I am still reading this book, but so far, it has really made me think about how complicated I have made things in my own life… and with a second child on the way, I really need some simplicity soon!

Bye Bye

Well, in the midst of a busy, busy day, I gave my chinchillas away today. I feel like they will be fine and well taken care of, but it’s kind of sad. I’ve had Chalupa for probably six years and Andy for almost as long. With the new baby coming, we just didn’t have room for them any more, but more than that, I just haven’t had much time to spend with them lately either. It’s sad though. I really enjoyed them.

Premier

Well, I have officially started selling with Premier Designs. I’m very excited about it and have already done one show that was above average, so it was great! I am looking forward to the opportunity it presents for me. Guess what else? By the end of this weekend, I will more than likely have two great ladies that I will sponsor as new jewelers! I’m really excited about that! The only bad thing for me is now I need to find two people to host shows by the end of October! Which is feasible… It’s just funny how every time I get my nine shows booked, something happens and I have to find more people! (I want to have nine shows before Nov 1st, so I can be entered in this great contest for free jewelry.) I’m very excited about my “daughters” in Premier! And I will make my Premier mom a grandmother for the first time and I think I will make her Premier mom a great grandmother for the first time! It’s just really cool how things are working out… just more confirmation that this is what God wants me to do.

The Wise Choice

I meant to post on this last week because it was really profound to me.

We are in a series entitled “Foolproof.” (We took a break this week to celebrate our 1st birthday as a church! Yay!) Jonathan talked about how we need to ask ourselves “What is the wise thing to do?” And we should do this in light of past experiences, in light of present circumstances, and in light of future goals…. in light of those things, what is the wise thing to do? He, also, pointed out that we tend to live on the edge. We want to get as close as we can without stepping over the line that makes it a bad choice. I have heard people say so many times “It’s better to ask for forgiveness later than permission now.” Which is basically saying “I know that this might be the wrong (unwise) thing to do, but this is the way I want to do it.” I’m pretty sure I’ve lived that way myself at times.

So, I’ve started a new business selling Premier Designs jewelry. I’m very excited about it. In light of my past experiences, it was a tough choice to invest in this, but in light of my present circumstances (being pregnant) and my future goals (to stay home and to develop better people skills), I felt this was definitely the best choice for me. I know it’s going to be a lot of work and in the next six months, the extra work may wear me out a little, but if I can succeed, my dreams will be a lot closer than they have ever been before. I’ve already had some tough choices to make in my new business, but I’m trying to make the wise choice! I feel much better and more confident though after my training show and my first show this week! They were both great and I gained a lot of experience already. It truly was a God thing that I even came across this opportunity.

Haven’t Posted in a While…

I’ve been extremely busy! Trying to get everything together for my upcoming jewelry parties. I am so excited! Thanks to everyone who is letting me come and bring my jewelry! I really appreciate it. You can still book a jewelry show if you want (email me at melanieacreel@gmail.com). Everything is coming together very well. I’m a little nervous about it, but overall I think it will be great. I just need to learn a little more about fashion!

Alyx started preschool this past week. She is going 2xwk on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30-11:30. She really enjoys it. She is excited to get to go play with Levi and some new friends she has made. She has come home with a balloon stamp on her hand each day and was so ecstatic about it.

Our air is finally working! It was only out for about two weeks! And it got to 87 degrees one day. My poor, poor chinchillas… but we all made it through with heat strokes. The part was under warranty, but gosh! is freon expensive!

Too Hot!

So…. it’s like 85 degrees in my house.  And it’s like 70 degrees outside. Our air conditioner is broken and I’m really hoping it’s just something simple that doesn’t cost a lot…. But I’m afraid is going to be something major! Anyway, even with the windows up and the ceiling fans going on high, it is still HOT! At least it will cool off in a little while… maybe!

Alyx has an Obsession

Alyx has a little shovel that is supposed to be for building sand castles… however, we have no sand at our house, so she has found a new use for it. Lately, she’s been going around the house finding “spiders” and “snakes.” When she “sees” one, she beats the tar out of it with the shovel. Then scoops it up and brings it to me or daddy. It’s really funny to watch. Once when she was at her Nana’s house, she spied a snake under the couch with a flashlight, announced “I’ll get it!” and then ran into the kitchen, only to come back out with a fork… I’d really be scared to see what she’d do with a real snake, so…

Erin brought a fake snake to work to scare Tiffany, which she didn’t really… (However, I scared the crap out of her with it later). So I brought it home to see what Alyx would do with it. When she saw it, she was like “there’s a snake!” And surprisingly, didn’t go near it! I expected her to run and get her shovel and break it while she was beating it to death. I’m thankful to know that she won’t go run up to them at least…  Okay, never mind, she just brought it to me and proceeded to lick it… yuck.

Excited

Well, I am officially in the jewelry business! I am kind of excited. A couple months ago, I would have been like… ummm, me sell jewelry? I don’t think so! But it’s strange how things work out some things. I really never even wore jewelry. I decided to have a jewelry show a few months back. I thought I’d get some jewelry since I didn’t have any at all and that I’d get to hang out with some girls for a few hours. I miss girl times! It’s really hard for me to get together with friends, so I thought this would be a perfect opportunity for me to hang out with the girls and that is truly what I thought.. this was mainly a time for myself than anything else. I got $27o worth in free jewelry though, which was cool, too!

A couple girls at work have been talking about starting with Premier Designs to make some extra money. You get half of what you sell and you get it that day. The more they talked about it, the more I was like that’d be kind of cool, especially with Frankie not really bringing home a regular paycheck. So when Diane, the jeweler who hosted my party, asked Erin if she wanted to go to a meeting they were having about it, I budded in and was like, I’ll go! I talked with Frankie about it and he thought it’d be a good idea, too.

When I went to the meeting last week, I had already kind of planned of getting involved, but they had a speaker, who really did a great job presenting her story with Premier. The main thing that stuck with me was that she said she was pretty introverted and had to step out of her comfort zone to do this, but she loved it. It helped develop her social skills as well as provided an income. This really spoke to me personally because I have been thinking about how to improve my social skills over the last few months. So I am excited, not only about the income it can provide, but also about the other things I can take from this!

So…. my question for you is this: do you want to have a jewelry show! It’s really fun and you get free jewelry! With Christmas coming, even if you don’t like jewelry, you can give it away as a Christmas gift, but… maybe you’ll be like me and find you actually like dressing up a little every now and then! You might also be like I was when I had my show and just want to have a girls’ night! So, if you are interested, please, PLEASE call me or email me or comment here!

Rose House and The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper

“Rose House” by Tina Anne Forkner was a really great read. I always enjoy a good fiction love story, especially one that’s shrouded in a little mystery! Lillian Diamon is grieving over the tragic loss of her husband and two young children. A private moment at she looks at the Rose House is captured on canvas and displayed for the world to see. As she searches for the artist of the anonymous painting, her heart begins to heal and open up to a new love. But the accident that left her without her family is shrouded in mystery. It was ruled an accident, but she knows it really wasn’t. She discovers some harsh realities as she is chased by the past and perhaps by someone else!

I am in the middle of reading “The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper” by Kathleen Y’Barbo. I love stories based back when the west was still wild! So far the book has been really good, but since I’m not completely through yet, here’s the summary on it:

The future is clearly mapped out for New York socialite Eugenia “Gennie” Cooper, but she secretly longs to slip into the boots of her favorite dime-novel heroine and experience just one adventure before settling down. When the opportunity arises, Gennie jumps at the chance to experience the Wild West, but her plans go awry when she is drawn into the lives of silver baron Daniel Beck and his daughter and finds herself caring for them more than is prudent–especially as she’s supposed to go back to New York and marry another man.

As Gennie adapts to the rough-and-tumble world of 1880s Colorado , she must decide whether her future lies with the enigmatic Daniel Beck or back home with the life planned for her since birth. The question is whether Daniel’s past–and disgruntled miners bent on revenge–will take that choice away from her.

The Sweetgum Ladies Knit for Love

I recently read “The Sweetgum Ladies Knit for Love” by Beth Pattillo. It was a really good book. It’s the story of six ladies in a small town and their journey on the path of love. They each are in a different spot of their life and make different choices. Camille recently lost her mother and is looking for a way out of town, but unexpectedly, her old high school crush comes back into town. Esther is newly widowed and discovers her husband left her with far less than she needs to live as she always has. She comes across two unlikely companions who begin to fill her life. Eugenie has married late in life to her old crush. She has become a pastor’s wife and now must try to fulfill the expectations people have placed on her or does she? Merry has enjoyed life raising her four kids. When her husband asks her to make a sacrifice and go back to work, she struggles. Maria is taking care her mother and two sisters by trying to run a five and dime store and selling their long-time home to some strangers from out of town. She develops an unlikely relationship with one of the strangers. Hannah, a foster child, is unsure she knows what it means to love someone. When her old friend moves back to town and is in the popular crowd, will they be able to get past all the outside forces and rekindle their relationship?

It was a fabulous story of six unlikely friends as they move through their lives and come together once a month at a book club, in which they just happen to be reading the greatest love stories of all time.